Nevada Legislature

CARSON CITY - Active and retired state workers will see a 5 percent increase in the cost of their health insurance. The state Public Employees Benefit Board decided Wednesday to save $23 million over the next fiscal year by reducing the state subsidy to health insurance premiums.

There might be a silver lining in the economic crisis, at least for students tired of taking tests. State Superintendent Keith Rheault is proposing eliminating a state-mandated exam as a way of cutting $1 million from the state budget.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Jim Gibbons said Friday he has reached an agreement with legislative leaders on a bipartisan plan to handle state government's $341.7 million budget deficit without laying off workers or cutting essential services. "This will have a minimal impact on state services," Gibbons said about their plan designed to balance the budget in the fiscal year that ends June 30.

A steep contraction in the per-pound price of molybdenum - down from an early-September price of $34 to just $11 by the end of the month - has significantly impacted Nevada mining companies.

The Nevada Department of Transportation's board of directors will hold a special meeting March 12 to discuss economic stimulus projects, according to Gov. Jim Gibbons' spokesman. Includes story on higher education stimulus funding.

The Sun reported last week on growing doubts among state and local politicians about the need for another quarter-cent sales tax increase sought by Metro Police to pay for more officers.

Last year, Las Vegas gaming revenue fell to 2005 levels. No industry wants to go backward. But considering the stock market has plunged to 1997 levels and homes may take decades to return to their peak values of a couple of years ago, three years of gaming growth seems like a small hit in this economy.

Carson City - Nevada businesses are facing a possible doubling of the unemployment tax they pay the state to keep benefits flowing to laid-off workers. The tax increase on employers would help Nevada avoid paying a hefty interest rate on a $1 billion loan the state plans to ask from Washington to fund the unemployment benefits pool, which is being drained in the recession because of record unemployment in Nevada. The alternative: keep the unemployment tax rate low because businesses are struggling in the recession, hope the economy turns around and fewer people look for unemployment benefits, and pay the federal loan back with interest when the state can better afford it.

Democrats worry he will abuse broad authority to spend taxpayer money By David McGrath Schwartz (contact) Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 | 2 a.m. Click to enlarge photo Gov. Jim Gibbons Related Documents (.pdf) * Attorney general's opinion on stimulus funds * Gibbons' letter to the attorney general's office * Controller Kim Wallin's letter to the Legislative Counsel Bureau Sun Archives * Lawmakers OK Gibbons' stimulus czar (8-24-2009) * Gibbons bypasses lawmakers, names stimulus director (8-18-2009) * Governor, Democrats on brink of showdown over stimulus funds (8-16-2009) * Gibbons skirts legislators in action to oversee stimulus (8-14-2009) * Governor balks at shift of stimulus authority (8-12-2009) * Gibbons ready to tear at legislative patch (8-9-2009) * Legislature reins in Gibbons; Democrats cite incompetence (8-5-2009) * Committee vote delays $10M in stimulus money (8-3-2009) * Democrats reject Gibbons' 'stimulus czar' proposal (8-3-2009) Sun Coverage * Archive of Sun politics stories CARSON CITY - The governor's office gained authority Monday to swiftly and unilaterally spend federal stimulus money without legislative approval, causing some lawmakers to worry that Gov. Jim Gibbons and his successors can now wield unchecked power over taxpayer dollars.

Democrats worry he will abuse broad authority to spend taxpayer money By David McGrath Schwartz (contact) Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 | 2 a.m. CARSON CITY - The governor's office gained authority Monday to swiftly and unilaterally spend federal stimulus money without legislative approval, causing some lawmakers to worry that Gov. Jim Gibbons and his successors can now wield unchecked power over taxpayer dollars.

Carson City - Legislators have embarked on an ambitious endeavor - find someone who can figure out how to save Nevada. Lawmakers have issued a request for a consultant who will analyze the state's tax structure, measure the public's willingness to accept a broader tax base and examine the balance between local and state revenue. It's an exercise state leaders repeat every couple of decades and one that has rarely resulted in radical change in how Nevada raises tax revenue. But legislators insist this study will be different because the mission will go beyond the state's finances and include finding ways to improve Nevada's dismal rankings in quality-of-life measures such as health care, education, public safety and job creation.

An agreement spelling out a merger of operations for the Truckee Meadows� two biggest water utilities by next summer and a complete merger within in the next decade is expected to be voted on by

Legislative leaders emerged from a closed-door meeting with Gov. Jim Gibbons on Wednesday to insist that nothing more can be cut from the state budget, though a shortfall of $2.4 billion could prompt them to increase taxes when the Legislature next goes into session in 2011.

Overview of the Nevada energy scene, summer of 2009.

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CARSON CITY -- There is a chess game going on between the Legislature and Gov. Jim Gibbons. It could end in a constitutional crisis, or it could lead to the first on-time legislative session in a decade. Share & Save Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites What is this? Most Popular Stories # OFFICER KILLED: Driver: No lights or sirens # Police arrest 28-year-old in Caesars slaying # Body of slain man found near Caesars Palace # NORM: Allergic reaction halts performance # FALLEN POLICE OFFICER REMEMBERED # NORM: Duke goes all-in against Rivers # Woman found stabbed to death # Driver in fatal crash says police cars didn't have lights, sirens on # NORM: Dion's husband OK after heart work # CAESARS PALACE DEATH: Man held in slaying of waiter Lawmakers are desperate to avoid the former, but time is rapidly running out, and any delay at this point could lead to a battle too ugly to contemplate.

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Worried about a growing number of changes, miscalculations and a worsening economic forecast, Democratic lawmakers want Gov. Jim Gibbons to tell them how he plans to address the ever expanding budget deficit that has opened since he submitted his proposed budget.

Washington - Years from now, when Nevadans wonder why their state and others abandoned coal plants in favor of renewable energy, they are likely to remember these days. Washington is moving aggressively if sometimes in unseen ways to remake the nation's energy landscape. Intricate pieces of legislation are unfolding on Capitol Hill that would radically alter the nation's energy policy, one bill at a time. The big-ticket items are well known: cap-and trade legislation, for example, which would put a price tag on carbon emissions; a bill requiring that more of the nation's energy come from renewable sources, as President Barack Obama promises.

Carson City - The federal stimulus package includes $38.8 million to weatherize 6,500 homes in Nevada, but legislators are fighting over whether only union members will be eligible for the jobs. As part of his "green" initiative, Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, is pushing a bill that would require the prevailing union wage be paid to these workers and that the contractor provide insurance for the workers and their families.

Carson City - Nevada has handed out tax incentives worth an estimated $45 million to lure solar and geothermal projects to Nevada over the past four years. So far, the state has received in return promises that the projects' developers will create 89 permanent jobs. It's a number so small that some lawmakers are questioning whether taxpayers are getting a good return on their investment in the incentives.